Our climate is changing, affecting the
health and wellbeing of people in Simcoe Muskoka. The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit is working to address these health impacts and to increase awareness of how climate change affects health. Below are some current communications that we have contributed to that explore the risks of climate change on health and how we can protect the public from these risks.
Make it Better
We are committed to working with families to protect children from the health impacts of climate change. As part of the 'Make it Better' campaign (now sunset) led by the Ontario Public Health Association, we pledged to address the health impacts of climate change on children in our region. We pledged to 'Make it Better' through efforts to reduce the effects of climate change (mitigate) and lessen the effects of climate change (adapt). To learn more about our pledge to address the health impacts of climate change and to mitigate and adapt to climate change, click on the following videos to hear about this pledge from Dr. Charles Gardner, our Medical Officer of Health.
Barrie DOCS
Our Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Charles Gardner, along with other physicians in our community, have come together forming the Barrie DOCS group. Barrie DOCS stands for: Barrie Doctors on Climate Solutions. In this hour-long video clip, Dr. Gardner and Barrie DOCS' colleagues explore the health risks of climate change and what we can do to protect ourselves from these risks.
Greenbelt Foundation
We teamed up with the Greenbelt Foundation for an exploration of how climate change affects the health of Ontarians. Key health risks from extreme heat, water and foodborne illness, injury and mental health, and severe storms can be reduced with specific actions by individuals and communities.
Health in a Changing Climate explores the impacts that climate change is having on our health. It is a collaboration with the Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation and written by two of our colleagues, Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Charles Gardner and former Climate Change Lead, Morgan Levison.
View the video series here.
Read the report Climate Change and Health: Impacts and Opportunities by Dr. Gardner and Morgan Levison, and the supplementary fact sheet.
